Feet Off the Seat!

"Keiralea, please stop kicking my seat", said Papa as we were driving into town.

Kilometres passed.

And again -

"Keiralea, I told you not to kick the back of my seat.  Now stop it"

I turned back to look at her and give her the 'eye' - the one I used to give my own when they disobeyed.

She was drawing in one of her scrap books that we keep in the car.  'Miles away', as my own mam would say.  So engrossed in her artwork.  Her now lanky, five year old legs were bent, -  her feet pushing on the back of her Papa's seat.  She saw me looking at her out the corner of her eye, turned her head and smiled.

"Mama, ........"

"You're doing it again..", Papa interrupted.

She looked at me quizzically, with knitted brow.

She wasn't kicking the back of Papa's seat.  She never had kicked the back of Papa's seat.  Kicking, to her was like kicking her ball. 

It would be better to say:

"Take your feet off my seat, Keiralea.  Papa doesn't like your feet sticking
in his back"

"It's rude to put your feet on the back of seats".

Tell her what you actually mean.

Teach her the meaning of rude.  Give her examples of being rude,  appropriate to her understanding. 

It's great for long distance travel conversations and distractions!

Communicate well with little ones.  Repeat when necessary.


Rude:
1.  Discourteous or impolite, especially in a deliberate way
2.  Without culture, learning or refinement
3.  Rough in manners or behaviour; unmannerly; uncouth